Taxi firm 'tried to cover up wheel falling off bus and investigators were intimidated by staff'https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north- ... p-15758944Traffic Commissioner issues full findings of investigation into Tacsi Gwynedd
Sion Edwards (Image: Daily Post Wales)The directors of a Gwynedd bus company have been disqualified from holding or applying for an operators licence indefinitely.
Tacsi Gwynedd, owned by Huw’s Taxis chief Huw John Edwards and his son Sion Ifor had their licence revoked last August after concerns and complaints were received by the Traffic Commissioner for Wales' office.
The company and the transport manager, Alan Vaughan Owen, have also been banned for an indefinite period by the Traffic Commissioner for Wales.
It follows a public inquiry into the company at Welshpool last August.
Immediately following the inquiry the Traffic Commissioner issued a notice revoking the operating licence of the company, which operated a number of services in the Caernarfon and Penygroes areas, from the beginning of September.
Traffic Commissioner Nick Jones' judgement was published today. He said following a number of complaints and concerns, including an incident where allegedly two wheels fell off a bus, the public inquiry was launched.
Neither director attended the hearing although solicitors on their behalf offered to surrender the licence with effect from October 31 last year.
Mr Jones said he did not accept the surrender of the licence.
"Very serious issues were raised which, if they came up to proof, could lead to potential disqualification orders," he said.
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) officials told the inquiry about significant road safety issues and aggressive intimidation of vehicle examiners.
The report states Vehicle Examiner Ruth Kyriacos had been asked to visit the depot on June 12 last year after being told one of the buses had been involved a wheel loss incident and have a look at the bus.
Mr Jones said: "On being asked about the wheel loss incident Sion Edwards told her the bus had a blowout to both tyres on the nearside rear wheels. This had been repaired straightaway and the vehicle put back into service."
But due to rumours relating to wheels literally falling off a bus and the obstructive behaviour and unwillingness from the operator to assist in the investigation a vehicle examiner visited Gwalia Garage, the agent responsible for recovering the vehicle.
The report states: "It was standard procedure within Gwalia Garage that drivers take photographs of vehicles as they find them and, that drivers do so prior to starting any recovery process.
"It was unmistakably clear from the photographs the bus did in fact suffer a wheel loss and not a blowout. The driver who attended the scene said he was asked to recover the bus because it had suffered a wheel loss and when he got there, there was no mistaking that this was the case."
Mr Jones added Ruth Kyriacos had commented Sion Edwards was accommodating and pleasant to deal with but aired some concerns about one of his mechanics who was described as being "very vague in his responses, unable to locate documents and when being asked about why systems weren’t working the way he designed, he didn’t have anything to say".
Image: Daily Post WalesDuring a further visit to the company premises two DVSA officials saw cars "parked tightly in the yard, blocking DVSA vehicles in, with someone starting to shut the gates".
The report notes when a photograph of the way the cars were blocking them in was taken a man in a hi-visibility jacket became aggressive and said she was not allowed to take a photograph of his car.
Ruth Kyriacos later wrote: “In my many years as a vehicle examiner with DVSA, I have been subject to various types of confrontation, 99% of them ending with an apology, a handshake and no hard feelings.
"Unfortunately, no amount of apologising and friendly gesture will ever make me feel safe to be with or around this operator or any of his family or personnel, and DVSA staff will not be visiting the depots unaccompanied again.”
Details of intelligence including anonymous letters was provided in the public inquiry. It was also claimed the transport manager was not undertaking his duties properly and was employed as a lorry driver Griffiths Contractors of Abergavenny.
This was later confirmed by the south Wales company. A statement said he was contracted to work 40 hours a week, Monday to Fridays on the Newtown bypass scheme.
The report also notes that during June DVSA officials carried out routine checks on vehicles carrying children to Ysgol Hafod Lon at Penrhyndeudraeth. This led to prohibition notices being placed on two of the company's taxis indicating a significant failing in maintenance.
While examining one of the vehicles later the Vehicle Examiner said she was subjected to an "unfriendly verbal exchange" with a female at the company garage.
Concluding his report the Traffic Commissioner states: "This is an operator that had a relatively small scale business in PSVs, but there were longstanding issues relating to compliance.
"The operator had previously appeared before a deputy traffic commissioner who felt the issues were sufficiently serious to warrant revocation of the operator’s licence.
"I appreciate that the order of revocation was overturned on appeal, however at the very least, this operator could and should have anticipated a DVSA investigation at some point in time.
"I do not accept that Sion Edwards was truthful when he told Ruth Kyriacos the bus had a blowout as claimed. His claims were an attempt to mislead the DVSA investigation and minimise the maintenance failings."
And he went on: "Prohibitions were issued to two taxis operated by this operator, albeit they were not in scope of the operator licensing regime which I oversee. However the prohibitions are relevant to corroborate evidence relating to poor standards of maintenance."
Mr Jones said: "I accept there was no reference at the hearing to director Hugh John Edwards, he is the father of Sion Edwards. He is a statutory director and his responsibilities are the same as that as his son.
"If he sought to re-enter the industry he would need to demonstrate that he was capable of operating compliantly and that there could be no repetition of the appalling facts as found by me.
"There would also be a need to assure the adjudicating traffic commissioner that he would ensure that lessons were learned."
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